High flying and backyard conservation

Backyard Kiwi ranger Todd Hamilton addresses a crowd of more than 50 children, parents and interested members of the community at Orokonui Ecosanctuary during Earth Day yesterday. 

Mr Hamilton told the audience about Backyard Kiwi and the discovery made in Whangarei that the dogs responsible for kiwi deaths were predominantly pets, rather than hunting dogs or farm dogs.

Mr Hamilton said Backyard Kiwi was a "community-driven conservation project".

"We were asked to come to the Wild Dunedin festival to tell people what worked for us," he said.

It was a "privilege" to share his ideas with Dunedin people and Orokonui was "brilliant", he said.

"It was a brilliant example of what you can do to help nature help itself."

Later in the day illustrator Heather Hunt taught children how to draw kiwi at Orokonui.